Chair-base hub.



H. W. BOLENS.

CHAIR BASE HUB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1915.

Patented Nov. 1 1, 191

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TED STATES FATE-N T OFFICE.

HARRY W. BOLENS, 0F PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN.

CHAIR-BASE HUB.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. BoLENs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Port Washington, in the county of Ozaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chair- Base Hubs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

' My invention refers to swivel seat chair supports and has for its object to provide a simple, durable and light weight pressed steel hub for the supporting base mechanism, the said hubs constituting the journal In the practical development of my novel hub I employ a cap or top plate and a bottom plate preferably composed of sheet metal, which plates are connected by a centrally disposed spindle barrel, and a series of spaced vertically disposed channel socket strips, where by the assemblage, when properly secured by spot-welding or riveting, forms a rigid, compact, light and durable skeleton hub member that can be manufactured at a considerable reduction in cost over hubs usually employed for the purpose mentioned, it being understood that a single set of dies are employed for the series of channelstrips, whereby they are interchangeable and a corresponding simple die operation is employed for manufacturing the top and bottom' plates in quantities.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in various details of construction and combination of mechanical elements as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subcircular in form and provided with a central barrel-receiving aperture 2, the said plate being depressed about the aperture to form a circular ball-race 2. The plate is also provided with four groups of socket apertures3 for the reception of tongues which.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 14, 1916,.

Application filed January 14, 1915. Serial No. 2,196. I

tongues project from the upper "edges of a series of channel-strips 4; to be hereinafter more fully described. .The top-plate aperture 2 is provided for the reception of one end of a spindle barrel 5, the upper edge of which barrelis positioned flush with that portion of the upper surface of thetop plate which forms the ball-race 2. The lower end of the barrel 5 carries a bottom-plate 6, which bottom plate is provided with a central aperture 6 for the reception of the lower end of the barrel, the said end being extended through the plate aperture, as best shown in Fig. 2; In order to effect a simple connection between the bottom plate aperture and exterior barrel surface, the said aperture is cut back at intervals to form ears 7, which ears are bent downwardly and adapted to engage the barrel surface. By this arrangement the bottom plate can be adjusted up or down in assemblage for matched fitwith the channel-strips preparatory tobeing permanently secured to the barrel by some means preferably spot-welding. Thus it will be seen that the ears are exposed and accessible, whereby they may be conveniently spot-welded to the juxtaposed end surface of the barrel. The outer edge of the bottom plate 6 is preferably cut away at intervals, as best shown in Fig. 3, whereby clearance is had for leg members, not shown, which leg members are slid into position relative to' the channel strips that form the side walls of leg sockets A. The cut away portions of the bottom plate thus form radial arms 6, the end edges of which arms have projecting therefrom tongues 8 that engage central sockets 8 that are formed adjacent to the lower ends of the channel strips 4. The channel-strips 4:, as shown, are preferably c oncavo convexed incross-se'ction, whereby their ends form walls for the leg sockets, which sockets thus present' restricted openings that flare toward 'the axis of the hub in the usual manner;

The abrupt ends of the arms 6 are shaped to conform to the central curve of the channel strips, whereby they are firmly seated to add rigidity to the assemblage.

From the foregoing'it will be seen that the channel strips which are spaced apart at regular intervals about the hub barrel, are confined bytheir tongue and socket 'connec tion's with-the top and bottom plates and it is understood that these tongues which pro ject through the sockets may, in some instances, be upset or riveted, but in practice it has been found more economical to spot weld the same. whereby apermanent union is effected. As indicated at a in Fig. 1, the flush surfaces of the barrel 5 and top-plate 1 may also be secured by spot-welding at points of intersection between the aperture 2 and the outer edge of said barrel. Thus the internal bore of the same is not marred or interrupted to offer an obstruction to a perfect fit between the barrel and the usual spindle that is mounted therein, which spindle is not shown in this exemplification of my invention. It will also be observed that after the several members have been assembled and secured, the spaced strips form leg sockets which are slightly contracted at their upper ends, whereby the legs when driven into place will be rigidly confined, this taper of the sockets being due to a slight taper downward of the channel strip.

As best shown in Fig. l, the cap or topplate may be provided with suitable apertures 9 for the reception of anchor screws, not shown, which are arranged to engage the leg members in the usual manner and when the legs are seated within the hub their upper edges will engage the lower surface of the top-plate, whereby said top-plate will,

receive the load strain.

It should be understood that while I have shown and-described one specific means of attaching the channel strips to the upper and lower plates, that I may, without departing from the spirit of my invention, vary such means within the knowledge of skilled mechanics.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates fitted over and secured to the barrel ends, a series of channel strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel to form leg sockets therebetween, and means for permanently securing the ends of said channel strips to the plates.

.2. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates secured to the ends of the barrel, a series of channel strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel to form leg sockets therebetween, and means for permanently securing the ends of said channel strips to the plates.

3. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates fitted over the ends of the barrel, means for securing the plates to the exterior walls of said barrel, a series of regularly spaced channel strips grouped about and spaced from the barrel to form leg sockets, and an interlocking tongue and socket joint union between the plates and each channel strip.

4. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates fitted over the ends of the barrel, the top-plate being provided with a series of sockets, means for securing the plates to the exterior walls of said barrel, tongues extending from the outer edges of the bottom plate, a series of channel strips spaced apart about the barrel, each having a socket engage-able with a tongue of the bottom plate, end tongues extending from the upper edge of the channel strips for engagement with the top-plate sockets, and means for effecting a permanent union between the series of sets of tongues and sockets.

5. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates fitted over the ends of the barrel, means for securing the plates to the exterior wall of said barrel, a series of channel strips spaced about the barrel having their upper edges in abutting engagement with the top-plate and their lower inner faces in abutting engagement with the edges of the bottom plate, means for securing the top plate and abutting edges of said channel strips together, and means for securing the engaging surfaces between the lower plate and channel irons.

6. A sheet metal chair hub comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates secured to the barrel ends, a series of concavo-convex strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel, and means for permanently securing the ends of said strips to the plates.

7. A sheet metal chair base comprising a tubular barrel, a centrally apertured top plate fitted over the upper end of said barrel to form a flush joint between the barrel edge and upper surface of said plate, a series of channel strips spaced apart about the barrel having their upper edges in abutting engagement with the upper plate, a lower plate provided with an aperture for engagement with the lower end of the barrel, the outer edge of said plate being engageable with the channel strips, means for securing the barrel to the plates, and means for securing the engaging surfaces of the channel strips to said plates.

8. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, a cen trally apertured top-plate secured to said barrel, a centrally apertured lower plate fitted over the opposite end of the aforesaid barrel, tongues projecting downwardly from the edges of the lower plate aperture engage-able with the juxtaposed surface of the barrel, means for securing the tongues to the aforesaid barrel surface, channel strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel,

to the top and bottom plates.

9. A sheet metal hub of the character described comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates fitted to the barrel, a series of channel strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel to form leg sockets therebetween, and means for permanently securing the barrel plates and channel strips together.

10. A sheet metal hub of the character de scribed comprising a tubular barrel, centrally apertured top and bottom plates secured to the ends of the barrel, a depressed bearing formed in the top-plate about the mouth of the barrel, a series of channel strips spaced apart and grouped about the barrel to form leg sockets therebetWeen, and means for permanently securing the ends of said channel strips to the plates.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county'of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY W. BOLENS.

lVitnesses Gno. W. YOUNG, M. E. DOWNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. A 

